The KMM Blog features true crime writer Robert A. Waters’ analysis of cold unsolved cases and commentary about modern and historical crimes. Kidnapping. Murder. Mayhem. They're as old as human history, and as fascinating.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Armed Bandit Dies in Attempted Holdup

Pharmacist
outguns robber…by
Robert A. WatersWorking
behind the counter at Good Family Pharmacy in Pinch, West Virginia, pharmacist Don
Radcliff noticed a strange man walk in.The
man’s head was covered with a hoodie, and his face masked by a white
bandana.Since the weather was freezing
outside, Radcliff didn’t feel comfortable with the man’s unusual attire.Attempting
to crack a joke, Radcliff asked the man if he was there to rob the store.The man didn’t respond, and that suddenly struck
Radcliff as strange.“He didn’t say
anything,” Radcliff said.“He didn’t
reply.He didn’t laugh or joke with me. He didn’t pull his hood or mask down and that
gave me an uneasy feeling.”Surveillance
videos inside the store recorded what happened next.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOq7iUFiXR4The
masked man, later identified as Terry Gillenwater, reached into his pocket and
pulled out a handgun.Radcliff later said: “As soon as I saw [Gillenwater’s] gun, I went
for mine. You can’t hesitate and I
didn’t.I tried to close the distance
between us because there was another student and an employee there and I
definitely didn’t want them between us in a gunfight. If there was going to be a gunfight, it was
going to be between me and him.”The
pharmacist fired three rounds from his .45-caliber pistol.Each bullet struck home.The first round hit Gillenwater in the chest
while the second hit the robber’s gun, disabling it.Radcliff’s final round struck the robber in
the abdomen.Gillenwater fell to the
floor, mortally wounded.While
Radcliff attempted to treat the robber’s wounds, pharmacy staff dialed
911.Gillenwater, however, died on his
way to the hospital.Investigators
concluded that Gillenwater’s intent was to steal prescription drugs.He had a history of drug abuse, and had
recently entered a treatment center after pleading guilty to conspiracy to
distribute Oxycontin.Kanawha County
Prosecutor Chuck Miller stated that “Mr. Gillenwater had done some preliminary
efforts to case the pharmacy. He had
done some search[es] on his iPhone with respect to drugs in the pharmacy.”Miller
later told reporters that “it took a great deal of courage for Mr. Radcliff to
pull his weapon and fire in the face of a weapon being pointed at him that was
fully loaded with a round in the chamber.That takes a lot of nerve, but he was completely justified in doing so.”The
pharmacist, who had a concealed carry permit, will not be charged with any
crime.